3 Eternal Songs by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons That Recall the Early Days of Rock and Roll

Some people simply exemplify the early days of rock and roll. From Elvis Presley to Buddy Holly to Little Richard, there are those performers and songwriters who just embody the 1950s and early 1960s sound. And another name to add to that list is the Newark, New Jersey-born artist Frankie Valli.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from Valli and his group The Four Seasons that showcase both his charm and his connection to the early days of rock. A trio of tracks that offer listeners a window into what music was like in the middle of the 1900s. Indeed, these are three eternal Frankie Valli songs that will help recall the early days of rock and roll.

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“Sherry” from Sherry & 11 Others (1962)

A song that features bright, blistering falsetto harmonies, this track from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons was originally called “Jackie Baby,” inspired by the First Lady at the time, Jackie Kennedy. This was one of those songs that just tumbled out of the band, written, according to the group, in about 15 minutes. As far as its lyrical content, the track, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is about cutting a rug. Specifically, about a pretty girl doing so. And on the track, Valli and the band sing,

Sherry, Sherry baby
Sherry, Sherry baby

Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry, can you come out tonight (Come come, come out tonight)
Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry, can you come out tonight

to my twist party
(Come out) Where the bright moon shines
(Come out) We’ll dance the night away
I’m gonna make-a you mine

“Big Girls Don’t Cry” from Sherry & 11 Others (1962)

This song, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was also from the band’s 1962 LP Sherry & 11 Others. Another song that takes advantage of the group’s knack for high falsetto singing, it’s about women keeping a stiff upper lip. Like many songs from the era, the song is about a breakup and how one of the participants of the breakup won’t get all bent out of shape due to the change. Sings the band,

Big girls don’t cry
Big girls don’t cry

Big girls don’t cry (they don’t cry)
Big girls don’t cry (who said they don’t cry?)
My girl said goodbye (my, oh, my)
My girl didn’t cry (I wonder why)

told my girl we had to break up
(Silly boy) hoped that she would call my bluff
(Silly boy) then she said to my surprise
“Big girls don’t cry”

“Walk Like a Man” from Big Girls Don’t Cry and Twelve Others (1963)

Sometimes relationships can be harsh. And this song is about the repercussions of such an experience. For a guy whose girlfriend is treating him badly, he gets the advice to stick out his chest, stand up straight, and walk like an adult man. That’s exactly what this track tells its listeners. Indeed, on it, Valli and the band sing,

Ooh-wee-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-wee
Walk, walk, walk, walk
Ooh-wee-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh
Walk like a man

Oh, how you tried to cut me down to size
Tellin’ dirty lies to my friends (ooh-ah, ooh-ah, ooh-ah, ooh)
But my own father said give her up, don’t bother
The world isn’t comin’ to an end
(He said)

Walk like a man, talk like a man
Walk like a man, my son
No woman’s worth crawlin’ on the earth
So walk like a man, my son

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